Brad Hewitt is a CEO with a unique perspective. Since 2010, Brad has served as president and CEO of Thrivent Financial, a not-for-profit Fortune 500 organization. In this role, he has made it his work to help Americans rediscover a healthy relationship with money. The idea that being wise with money, and generosity, go hand in hand lies at the heart of this relationship.

Brad is co-author of a new book, “Your New Money Mindset,” its a new way of thinking about the role money plays in our lives. Many of us live with ongoing, and often unexamined, tension related to money. Few of us have really escaped the credit-card trap or freed ourselves from worries about having enough for the future. The goal is to cultivate a surplus mindset that allows you to enjoy what you already have and be generous toward others.

Legendary Contemporary Christian recording artist, Russ Taff, will be the special music for the breakfast. Russ first gained recognition as lead vocalist for The Imperials (1977–81). One of his best-known performances is the song “Praise The Lord”. He has also been a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, and occasionally tours with Bill Gaither in the Gaither Homecoming concerts. As a solo artist and songwriter, Taff is known for the 1980s anthem “We Will Stand”.

Dr. Nunes is the Emil and Elfriede Jochum Chair at Valparaiso University, a professorship supporting the study of Christian values in public and professional life.

From 2007 to 2013, John was the President and CEO of Lutheran World Relief where he led staff in 17 countries working with communities that were working their way out of poverty. Prior to LWR, he taught at Concordia University Chicago and served in inner city settings in Detroit and Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Nunes received a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College in Ann Arbor, MI; a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; and both a Master of Theology and a Doctor of Philosophy with an emphasis in postcolonial identity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He has also received honorary doctorates from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, and Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At Valparaiso, he is affiliated with Christ College –the honors college of the University; Campus Ministries; and the Departments of English, Theology, and International Studies.

Dr. Nunes is the author of “Voices from the City: Issues and Images of Urban Preaching” and, with his wife Monique Nunes, “Little Things Make Big Differences: A Story about Malaria.” With Mary Joy Philip and Charlie Collier, he edited and contributed to the recently released, “Churrasco: A Theological Feast in Honor of Vitor Westhelle.”

John considers himself a recovering Scrabble-holic and is a lover of poetry and music. His wife, Monique, is the Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Programs at Valparaison University and they together are the parents of six grown children and an expanding entourage of grandchildren.